Cross River Park: We Provide Amenities To Host Communities To Avert Hostility – Deputy Conservator

By; VITALIS UGOH, Calabar
Cross River National Park has said that the provision of some basic amenities to host communities within its catchment areas, had brought about peaceful coexistence and increased conservation activities.
As a result, it has over the years provided a very big conducive atmosphere for both parties to benefit from each other.
This is manifest in the provisions of health centers, culverts, schools and boreholes to some  of the host communities in the state.
This was disclosed to New Nigerian Online in an exclusive interview with the deputy conservator Mrs. Caroline Olory in Calabar.
According to her, “there are 105 communities within the National Park. We are trying our best given the size of our budget. Yes, we cannot provide all the needs of the entire communities”.
Olory, therefore called on development agencies operating in the state to collaborate with the National Park so as to extend  same gesture to those that have not benefitted.
She said “we enjoy absolute peace from all the communities that have benefitted from our basic amenities but those who were yet to benefit are giving us some headache”.
The only government they see is the National Park, hence they keep requesting for more of such basic amenities. For now, we are trying but we have not covered all the  communities. We need collaboration with Development Agencies operating in the state to be able to achieve at least 85 per cent success”.
She called for increase in their budgetary allocation so that those other communities left out will have opportunity to benefit.
On whether the National Park enjoys the cooperation of the host communities, she said ” as far as I am concern we have had reasonable cooperation”.